Many software specifically designed for operating on a personal computer (PC) (i.e., PC-based software), such as Quickbooks®, have provided many useful and essential functions for clients. Because of their usefulness, these PC-based software are ubiquitous in many business and personal settings. As such, many clients are so heavily dependent on such PC-based software that switching to a wide area network (WAN) software, such as a web- or internet-based software, becomes very difficult due to effort, time and cost to implement the transition.
Although PC-based software have served clients very well, they typically have many drawbacks. For instance, PC-based software typically come with a finite or limited set of functions defined by the software manufacturer. Although some software manufacturers do provide upgrades, add-on modules, and updates to augment their limited set of functions, clients are still tied to the available functions provided by the manufacturers. Some software manufacturers allow client-originated functions, such as macros, to operate with their software. However, usually these client-originated functions are limited and may not achieve the desired functionality for the client.
Another drawback of PC-based software is that accessing the software or its database from a remote computer via a WAN, such as the Internet, may be difficult and typically not user-friendly. For instance, a user using such a remote computer may have to set up a virtual private network (VPN) in order to gain access to the PC-based database, while running a copy of the PC-based software on the remote computer. In such a case, another copy of the software has to be purchased for the remote computer, which could be expensive, especially for the case where there are a lot of remote users needing to access the PC-based database.
Additionally, often it may be desirable to integrate or combine a PC-based software database with another PC-based software or a WAN-based software. For instance, it may be desirable to integrate an accounting software database, such as a Quickbooks® database, with an inventory or point-of-sale database. However, for the same reason it is difficult to transition from a PC-based software to a WAN-based software and database, it is generally difficult to perform such integration of distinct databases.
Accordingly, there is a need in the relevant art for a system and method that addresses these and other concerns.